WEBVTT - John C. Reilly / "The Sisters Brothers" 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:17.439 H m hm. You're listening to Playback, a Variety I 0:00:17.520 --> 0:00:21.520 Heart Radio podcast. I'm your host, Variety Awards Editor Chris Tapley. 0:00:22.000 --> 0:00:23.880 This week we have actor John c Riley on the 0:00:23.920 --> 0:00:26.080 show here to discuss his work in a range of films, 0:00:26.120 --> 0:00:29.120 including Western, The Sisters Brothers, and the upcoming Disney sequel 0:00:29.200 --> 0:00:31.920 Rolph Breaks the Internet. He's got a busy year ahead, 0:00:32.680 --> 0:00:56.720 so sit tight. This is playback, all right, you too, 0:00:56.760 --> 0:01:01.120 tack here, Matt. Thanks for coming in, Matt, my pleasure. 0:01:02.160 --> 0:01:06.080 We're already up and running. So I'm gonna dive in 0:01:07.200 --> 0:01:09.679 here today with John c Riley, the star of us 0:01:09.840 --> 0:01:12.319 The Sisters Brothers, a few movies actually The Sisters Brothers, 0:01:12.720 --> 0:01:15.160 which is gonna be premiering at the Venice Film Festival. 0:01:15.920 --> 0:01:20.440 Also Ralph Breaks the Internet. We're gonna get Ralph too, 0:01:21.120 --> 0:01:26.640 and also the four movies actually coming out. Yeah, what's 0:01:26.640 --> 0:01:30.480 the one I'm missing? Sherlock Holmes's Will Ferrell. Yeah, Holmes 0:01:30.520 --> 0:01:34.399 and Watson. It's called you like staying busy. I like 0:01:34.640 --> 0:01:38.160 relaxing actually, but when when the sun shining, you gotta 0:01:38.200 --> 0:01:40.240 make hey right, I hear you. Oh, thanks for coming 0:01:40.280 --> 0:01:44.679 on the show today. I really appreciate it um before 0:01:44.680 --> 0:01:46.680 we get into the movies. I kind of wanted to 0:01:46.720 --> 0:01:49.120 dive back a little bit. You know, when you started 0:01:49.160 --> 0:01:53.680 your career, you started with Casualties of War Bryan to Palmer. Also, 0:01:53.720 --> 0:01:55.840 We're No Angels and Days of Thunder its Neil Jordan 0:01:55.960 --> 0:01:59.920 and Tony Scott. So these kind of cinema titans. I'm 0:02:00.000 --> 0:02:02.800 curious what you like, What were the last My whole 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:07.080 career has been cinemat It seems like like one top 0:02:07.200 --> 0:02:09.960 the next. And I realized when I got that first job, 0:02:10.520 --> 0:02:12.640 because you know, at that point, I was twenty two 0:02:12.720 --> 0:02:15.680 years old coming out of Chicago. I've never been in 0:02:15.720 --> 0:02:20.080 an airplane before, let alone in a movie. And uh, 0:02:21.080 --> 0:02:24.040 after I did Casualties and I met this amazing guy, 0:02:24.120 --> 0:02:29.040 Sean Penn and Brian to Palmer, I realized, like, oh, okay, 0:02:29.120 --> 0:02:31.040 well I've gotten off to a pretty good start here. 0:02:33.120 --> 0:02:36.480 I should try to like have everything top the next 0:02:36.560 --> 0:02:40.480 if I can, you know, like um, because I was 0:02:40.560 --> 0:02:43.680 just so thrilled to be working on anything, literally anything. 0:02:43.720 --> 0:02:45.880 I was taking auditions in Chicago while I was doing 0:02:45.960 --> 0:02:48.600 theater there when I was just out of college, and 0:02:49.280 --> 0:02:52.240 I just wanted to make a buck, you know what, 0:02:52.280 --> 0:02:53.679 I mean, I was just trying to get out of 0:02:53.720 --> 0:02:59.120 the South Side of Chicago and then um, and then 0:02:59.160 --> 0:03:02.000 it just occurred to me, you like. I think part 0:03:02.040 --> 0:03:04.200 of it was that I somehow didn't believe that you 0:03:04.240 --> 0:03:07.160 could really have a career in movies. Like when I 0:03:07.200 --> 0:03:09.200 was a kid, I thought of movie actors as like 0:03:09.440 --> 0:03:11.720 the real that was what they really were, Like, I 0:03:11.760 --> 0:03:15.480 couldn't even I had reference points for theater in my life. 0:03:15.480 --> 0:03:16.840 I had done a lot of theater since I was 0:03:16.880 --> 0:03:20.200 a little kid, and so I understood like that life 0:03:20.360 --> 0:03:22.840 what it means to be like an actor doing plays. 0:03:22.960 --> 0:03:26.000 But movie guys like I remember, just like watching Gene 0:03:26.000 --> 0:03:30.760 Hackin in French Connection in the theater and going, Wow, 0:03:30.919 --> 0:03:33.440 what a cool guy, Like I just thought that's who 0:03:33.480 --> 0:03:36.120 he was. I didn't. I didn't put it together that 0:03:36.200 --> 0:03:40.680 actors were people somehow, movie actors anyway, because they seem 0:03:40.760 --> 0:03:46.320 so much bigger than life. But um, But once I 0:03:46.360 --> 0:03:48.880 started to get going and I had some great mentors 0:03:48.920 --> 0:03:51.040 earlier on Sean Penn was a great mentor of mine. 0:03:51.320 --> 0:03:53.560 I wouldn't have a career if it wasn't for Sean Penn. 0:03:54.240 --> 0:03:56.800 Because Sean advocated for me on that first movie. I 0:03:56.840 --> 0:03:59.320 was originally cast in Causualties of War as a day 0:03:59.360 --> 0:04:02.320 player at just one scene where I get my arm 0:04:02.360 --> 0:04:05.720 blown off, and then the casting changed while I when 0:04:05.720 --> 0:04:09.040 I got over to Thailand, they recast a couple of 0:04:09.080 --> 0:04:10.920 different parts and I ended up moving into one of 0:04:10.920 --> 0:04:15.120 the leads in the movie. UM. I think partially because 0:04:15.280 --> 0:04:18.720 or maybe entirely, because Sean Penn believed in me, and 0:04:18.720 --> 0:04:21.320 he told you it's a big risk. I had never 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:24.240 been in a movie before, literally not never been on 0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:27.600 film before, so for a big Hollywood movie, that's a 0:04:27.640 --> 0:04:31.680 considerable risk to take. And I think I mean Sean 0:04:31.760 --> 0:04:34.520 and I actually have never talked about it, even though 0:04:34.560 --> 0:04:37.359 I've known him now for so long and I feel 0:04:37.400 --> 0:04:41.000 so close to him and his whole family. Um, we 0:04:41.120 --> 0:04:43.839 never talked about it, but I know that behind the 0:04:43.880 --> 0:04:46.839 scenes he must have said to Brian, like Brian to Palmer, like, 0:04:47.440 --> 0:04:50.240 don't worry, this kid can do it. Because we've done 0:04:50.240 --> 0:04:52.400 a lot of rehearsing for that movie, where I was 0:04:52.440 --> 0:04:55.880 started reading utility roles for the characters that weren't there, 0:04:56.600 --> 0:04:59.000 and I was coming at it from a theatrical perspective, 0:04:59.000 --> 0:05:02.120 which is like you just it doesn't matter if you 0:05:02.160 --> 0:05:05.400 think you're an eighty year old Vietnamese man. That's what 0:05:05.440 --> 0:05:07.000 you're being asked to do, so you have to throw 0:05:07.080 --> 0:05:11.680 yourself into it. And so um, like, for instance, there 0:05:11.760 --> 0:05:13.560 was an eighty year old Vietnamese man and one of 0:05:13.560 --> 0:05:16.280 these scenes and the we didn't have someone there when 0:05:16.320 --> 0:05:18.560 we're rehearsing, so they were like, yeah, John, you you 0:05:18.600 --> 0:05:22.320 read that part. Like So, I think I just impressed 0:05:22.360 --> 0:05:26.320 Sean early on with my enthusiasm and my willingness to 0:05:26.440 --> 0:05:28.800 just like let go of my ego and do whatever 0:05:28.800 --> 0:05:31.000 it was that needed to be done to tell the 0:05:31.040 --> 0:05:33.360 story that day. And there was a there was a 0:05:33.400 --> 0:05:35.480 lot of ego in that room. You know, a lot 0:05:35.560 --> 0:05:39.080 of young actors who were feeling like, uh, you know, 0:05:39.160 --> 0:05:40.920 they needed to kind of go toe to toe with 0:05:41.000 --> 0:05:43.640 Sean or something or prove that they were as tough 0:05:43.680 --> 0:05:45.960 as him or whatever. And I was like, I'm an 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:49.160 actor man like Shaun could kick my ass. I don't. 0:05:49.920 --> 0:05:52.440 I don't need to prove myself in that way. Check 0:05:52.520 --> 0:05:56.320 this out window, what you're going to buy? I wonder 0:05:56.320 --> 0:05:59.920 if you can see me? Can you see me? Anyway? 0:06:00.480 --> 0:06:04.279 So yeah, so Sean was an early advocate of mine, 0:06:04.320 --> 0:06:08.359 and I really do oh my life in movies to 0:06:08.520 --> 0:06:10.800 him and Brian to Palmer and Art Linson. Those are 0:06:10.800 --> 0:06:15.360 the first three people who you know, just threw caution 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:19.080 to the wind and gave me that first shot. So cool. Well, 0:06:19.360 --> 0:06:21.440 I forgot what you asked me, but I started off 0:06:21.440 --> 0:06:23.920 with Titans of the Cinema. I think it was your question. Yeah, 0:06:23.920 --> 0:06:25.960 and Tony Scott, Neil Jordan. I'm just curious what you 0:06:26.000 --> 0:06:28.520 what you learned early on from guys like that. Tony 0:06:28.560 --> 0:06:31.000 Scott was actually my fourth movie. The first one was 0:06:31.080 --> 0:06:33.320 cast he was Brian to Palma, then was Neil Jordan, 0:06:33.360 --> 0:06:36.880 and Where No Angels and then State of Grace with Pilano. Yeah, 0:06:37.400 --> 0:06:41.360 all three with Sean. But I should point out just 0:06:41.440 --> 0:06:44.000 as a point of pride because it's something that I've 0:06:44.040 --> 0:06:46.320 done through my whole life. As much as I admire 0:06:46.400 --> 0:06:49.919 Sean and appreciate everything that he did for me, I 0:06:49.960 --> 0:06:52.240 had to earn every one of those spots. It wasn't 0:06:52.279 --> 0:06:54.320 like Sean was saying, you have to cast this guy. 0:06:55.040 --> 0:06:57.800 I like him. He was saying, this kid's good, give 0:06:57.880 --> 0:07:00.480 him a chance. And then all three of those movies 0:07:00.480 --> 0:07:03.799 I had to audition extensively for and show the director 0:07:03.839 --> 0:07:09.600 that I actually had the goods. Um. So, yeah, so 0:07:10.400 --> 0:07:14.160 there's no free lunch. I guess that's what I'm saying. Uh. 0:07:14.560 --> 0:07:20.240 Brian's obviously very singular filmmaker. Um, you know, did I 0:07:20.320 --> 0:07:22.000 keep coming back to the question like what what what 0:07:22.040 --> 0:07:24.720 do you what did you learn from from him? From 0:07:24.720 --> 0:07:28.000 from a Tony Scott, from Neil Jordan's from you know, 0:07:28.120 --> 0:07:30.160 just early on when you're first getting your start, where 0:07:30.160 --> 0:07:35.880 you're scared starting to become a screen actor. Uh well 0:07:35.920 --> 0:07:39.840 I wasn't especially scared, I think mostly because I was 0:07:39.880 --> 0:07:43.200 sort of ignorant about what well how big of an 0:07:43.200 --> 0:07:46.400 opportunity it was to me. I mean initially I was 0:07:46.520 --> 0:07:49.800 so blown away by that first part I got that date, 0:07:50.280 --> 0:07:53.640 just that day player role, like one just any part 0:07:53.680 --> 0:07:55.720 in the movie. I was like, oh my god, I'm 0:07:55.760 --> 0:07:59.320 They're gonna fly me into Thailand, Like it's insane. So 0:07:59.360 --> 0:08:02.800 it's already in a place of extreme gratitude and wonderment. 0:08:03.120 --> 0:08:06.440 But in terms of being nervous, like I've been acting 0:08:06.440 --> 0:08:08.480 since I was eight years old, so I knew, like 0:08:08.520 --> 0:08:11.120 why I know how to do this? I'm sure there's 0:08:11.120 --> 0:08:14.080 a lot of technical stuff that I don't understand, and 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:16.440 to this day, there's quite a bit of technical stuff 0:08:16.480 --> 0:08:20.320 that I don't understand. But what's most important for actors 0:08:20.360 --> 0:08:22.880 in front of the camera is just lose yourself and 0:08:22.920 --> 0:08:28.040 to be confident and to just completely submerge yourself into 0:08:28.120 --> 0:08:30.200 the material so that I knew I already knew I 0:08:30.280 --> 0:08:33.320 could do. I do remember a couple of moments on 0:08:33.400 --> 0:08:39.040 that movie, though, where I remember once I had seen Sean, 0:08:39.160 --> 0:08:42.640 I think, asked for another take. You know, he can 0:08:42.760 --> 0:08:44.280 do another one. I want to do another one. I 0:08:44.320 --> 0:08:46.640 have something else I want to do, which is something 0:08:46.679 --> 0:08:50.800 like with seniority, it's pretty common among actors on movies. 0:08:51.600 --> 0:08:54.160 But then I thought, like, you know, we're doing a 0:08:54.240 --> 0:08:57.440 scene and I was like, Brian, can can I do 0:08:57.520 --> 0:09:02.160 one more? You know? And he was like everyone, John 0:09:02.320 --> 0:09:05.680 Riley wants another take, so we're going to do another take. 0:09:05.920 --> 0:09:07.440 And I remember looking at him in this kind of 0:09:07.520 --> 0:09:10.400 guileless way, like what is that? Is that a problem? 0:09:10.480 --> 0:09:13.080 Like Shahn did it? Like I didn't understand it was 0:09:13.080 --> 0:09:15.160 this big deal. I thought like, don't you want the 0:09:15.200 --> 0:09:18.440 best for me? Like like give me another crack at it? 0:09:18.480 --> 0:09:23.320 Like um, So I realized early on, like all this 0:09:23.520 --> 0:09:29.559 kind of deference to famous people and and treating directors 0:09:29.600 --> 0:09:32.320 like these legends or these screen titans. It was there 0:09:32.400 --> 0:09:34.559 was no future in that. It was just that's not 0:09:34.840 --> 0:09:37.160 that's not what they wanted, and it's not what was 0:09:37.160 --> 0:09:40.000 gonna help me accomplish what I needed to do every day. 0:09:40.200 --> 0:09:41.959 I needed to just look at the people I was 0:09:42.000 --> 0:09:46.040 working with as partners and as peers and as people 0:09:46.080 --> 0:09:49.480 that I was working together with in collaboration with. Not 0:09:49.640 --> 0:09:52.360 these people I was lucky to be around, you know, 0:09:52.400 --> 0:09:54.520 I understood I was lucky to be around them, But 0:09:55.040 --> 0:09:57.600 that's not the way you have to know you can 0:09:57.640 --> 0:10:01.400 behave in those two Actually your working Yeah, did you 0:10:01.400 --> 0:10:03.160 have a roadmap at all in those early stages, like 0:10:03.200 --> 0:10:05.280 what you wanted your career to be, what how you 0:10:05.280 --> 0:10:08.280 wanted to get in there, any idea whatsoever? No, not 0:10:08.400 --> 0:10:10.960 at all. Really, Like, like I said, I didn't really 0:10:10.960 --> 0:10:13.200 have any reference points in my life. I grew up 0:10:13.200 --> 0:10:16.520 on the South Side of Chicago and very Irish Catholic 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:19.559 kind of upbringing, and there was just nobody. There were 0:10:19.600 --> 0:10:22.160 barely any people that were doing theater, you know, let 0:10:22.200 --> 0:10:25.520 alone movies, like it just seemed like this crazy thing. 0:10:25.600 --> 0:10:28.040 So I didn't have a roadmap. But then I started 0:10:28.080 --> 0:10:31.880 to create um, not so much a roadmap, because you know, 0:10:31.920 --> 0:10:34.480 whenever I hear actors talk about like, well, my goals 0:10:34.520 --> 0:10:37.040 are this, and I'm gonna do this, and I'm going 0:10:37.080 --> 0:10:39.640 to do that. Like the truth is an actor's life 0:10:39.679 --> 0:10:43.320 is one of like hitching your wagon to other people's momentum. 0:10:43.360 --> 0:10:47.679 You know, So this idea that you're planning something like 0:10:48.040 --> 0:10:50.240 most of the time, especially when you're starting out, you're 0:10:50.280 --> 0:10:53.720 just looking for opportunities that other people are bringing to you, 0:10:53.760 --> 0:10:57.720 not you know, looking for you know, trying to accomplish 0:10:58.120 --> 0:11:03.800 some some specific goal or some kind of role or whatever. UM. 0:11:03.840 --> 0:11:06.400 But you know that said, I did sort of develop 0:11:06.480 --> 0:11:12.200 like a point of view about um quality control. And 0:11:12.280 --> 0:11:14.520 Sean really taught me that early on. He was like 0:11:14.600 --> 0:11:18.440 listen because I remember we were doing our second film together, 0:11:18.440 --> 0:11:21.080 We're New Angels, and I had been offered this other 0:11:21.400 --> 0:11:26.840 sort of it was a good movie to actually um. 0:11:26.920 --> 0:11:30.040 It was this movie Memphis Bell. I remember I had 0:11:30.040 --> 0:11:33.280 been offered this role in Memphis Bell and and I 0:11:33.320 --> 0:11:35.880 was trying to decide between doing Memphis Bell or doing 0:11:35.880 --> 0:11:40.800 State of Grace with Sean, and uh, I was really 0:11:40.800 --> 0:11:43.319 struggling with it because I felt really beholden to Sean 0:11:43.360 --> 0:11:47.440 because he had had already like taught me so much, 0:11:47.480 --> 0:11:49.960 and I was I took him aside and I was like, 0:11:49.960 --> 0:11:52.199 hey man, I'm trying to figure out what to do here. 0:11:52.320 --> 0:11:54.480 I got these two offers. I really want to do 0:11:54.520 --> 0:11:57.480 this thing with you, but there's other great part two. 0:11:57.559 --> 0:11:59.120 I'm not sure what I should do. And he's like, well, 0:11:59.160 --> 0:12:01.199 what do you want to do? Like, wow, I don't know. 0:12:01.280 --> 0:12:04.560 My agents are saying that I should do this other thing. 0:12:04.640 --> 0:12:07.640 And he's like who. I was like, my agent said, 0:12:07.760 --> 0:12:10.360 he's like your agent. I was like yeah, he's like 0:12:10.880 --> 0:12:13.440 that's the last person you should be listening to for 0:12:13.480 --> 0:12:16.240 advice about what you should do. And it was so 0:12:16.360 --> 0:12:19.559 counterintuitive to me at the time. I thought agents were 0:12:19.559 --> 0:12:23.319 the gatekeepers of everything you know, and Sean really including 0:12:23.440 --> 0:12:25.920 in early on, like those people have an agenda and 0:12:25.920 --> 0:12:28.760 it's not your agenda. They're looking for ten percent of 0:12:28.800 --> 0:12:30.760 the most amount of money that you can get. Yeah, 0:12:30.800 --> 0:12:34.440 so you have to just ignore everyone. But that inner 0:12:34.520 --> 0:12:37.520 voice of the of yourself as an artist, what is 0:12:37.640 --> 0:12:39.880 what is it that you're drawn to do? What you know? 0:12:39.920 --> 0:12:44.000 What do you you know? What do you see yourself 0:12:44.160 --> 0:12:47.760 doing your best work? At so. Needless to say, I 0:12:47.880 --> 0:12:50.280 passed on Memphis Spell, although I love that movie. I 0:12:50.280 --> 0:12:53.600 thought was really good. And uh, I love a World 0:12:53.640 --> 0:12:56.240 War two story where Gary Olman last year talking about 0:12:57.200 --> 0:13:01.040 State of Grace on the show Here. That's why Gary 0:13:01.160 --> 0:13:03.640 was in a wild place at that time in his life. Man. 0:13:04.160 --> 0:13:05.959 I wonder what he said about it, because he was 0:13:06.000 --> 0:13:08.800 talking about how, you know, just finding the character. The 0:13:08.840 --> 0:13:10.920 smallest thing could help him find the character. Like he 0:13:10.960 --> 0:13:12.520 was trying on a jacket and he flipped his hair 0:13:12.559 --> 0:13:14.640 and suddenly he saw that he had the character. I 0:13:14.679 --> 0:13:16.840 remember that hair flip. I saw him do that in 0:13:16.840 --> 0:13:18.480 the movie. It's like this kind of chip on his 0:13:18.520 --> 0:13:23.120 shoulder psychological gesture. Yeah, that was just wild. Let's remember 0:13:23.160 --> 0:13:26.079 like a nineteen year old or twenty year old Uma 0:13:26.160 --> 0:13:29.040 Thurman just wafting up onto the set to visit Gary. 0:13:29.040 --> 0:13:31.360 At that moment, I was like, oh my god, Like 0:13:32.200 --> 0:13:36.520 this what happens when you're famous movie star? Like people 0:13:36.600 --> 0:13:39.720 like that just show up to visit you. Yeah. Well, 0:13:39.760 --> 0:13:41.520 you know, along the way, you know, he kind of 0:13:41.559 --> 0:13:45.160 made this transition eventually to comedy, started working with you know, 0:13:45.280 --> 0:13:49.360 jud Apatao and Kasden and Adam A long, long time 0:13:49.400 --> 0:13:52.840 after the movies we're talking about now. But I'm just 0:13:53.240 --> 0:13:55.080 it's it's interesting to me to have that kind of 0:13:55.120 --> 0:13:57.840 shift in the in the middle of your career. Uh 0:13:57.880 --> 0:14:00.080 and and you're so great at your natural at it. 0:14:00.440 --> 0:14:01.600 You know, some of the stuff you did with Paul 0:14:01.600 --> 0:14:04.120 Thomas Anderson had inherent comedy to it as well. So 0:14:04.760 --> 0:14:07.520 just what was that about? Was that a conscious decision 0:14:07.760 --> 0:14:10.360 with what was going on? Well, like I like I 0:14:10.400 --> 0:14:12.920 was just saying about afters having goals. You know, it's 0:14:12.960 --> 0:14:17.160 like you're just you're trying to stay in the groove, 0:14:17.320 --> 0:14:19.120 you know, like you're trying to like not get in 0:14:19.160 --> 0:14:23.040 your way and not put preconceptions on things. So when things, 0:14:23.360 --> 0:14:25.720 good opportunities come your way, you have to follow your 0:14:26.160 --> 0:14:30.560 your instincts. And my instincts were then and still are, 0:14:30.600 --> 0:14:34.160 like look for inspired people that you think are funny 0:14:34.280 --> 0:14:39.160 or challenging or and more intelligent than you or whatever 0:14:39.200 --> 0:14:42.120 it is, people that are gonna challenge you and bring 0:14:42.120 --> 0:14:44.120 it to a new place than you've already been. So 0:14:44.720 --> 0:14:50.080 I met um Will Ferrell through Molly Shannon and then 0:14:50.240 --> 0:14:52.960 Um and Will and I just had right away this 0:14:53.040 --> 0:14:57.760 sort of sympatico feeling towards each other, and we almost 0:14:57.800 --> 0:15:00.160 did Anchorman together but that didn't work out. So I 0:15:00.200 --> 0:15:03.040 was working on something. But when luckily, when those guys 0:15:03.640 --> 0:15:06.160 did their next movie, they came to me again for 0:15:06.280 --> 0:15:11.400 Tell Dagon Nights, and um, I realized then, like, it 0:15:11.440 --> 0:15:14.400 doesn't it's not for me. Like there's this great, great 0:15:14.480 --> 0:15:17.440 quote that I always think about, which is, um, what 0:15:17.480 --> 0:15:20.280 other people think of you is none of your business. 0:15:20.320 --> 0:15:23.960 So this idea that like, well, I'm a dramatic actor 0:15:24.080 --> 0:15:26.600 or I'm a comedian guy. It's like, just never mind 0:15:26.640 --> 0:15:30.200 about what other people are saying about you. Just do 0:15:30.360 --> 0:15:33.040 your work, you know, and work with people that inspire you, 0:15:33.120 --> 0:15:36.280 and and go towards material that you think is inspired 0:15:36.320 --> 0:15:41.120 and and well done. And I had done a lot 0:15:41.160 --> 0:15:44.560 of improvisation already with Paul Thomas Anderson for his films, 0:15:45.280 --> 0:15:50.240 and and Adam McKay and Will Ferrell saw that I 0:15:50.360 --> 0:15:53.200 was like really down to improvise, and that's like the 0:15:53.320 --> 0:15:57.280 sort of lifeblood of what they do together. So it's 0:15:57.320 --> 0:16:00.040 just it was a real no brainer. I mean, I 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:02.840 suppose if you were trying to create some profile that 0:16:02.920 --> 0:16:07.120 you're serious actor, you would avoid doing comedy. But that 0:16:07.240 --> 0:16:10.360 just seems stupid to me, like, if you can do it, 0:16:10.720 --> 0:16:12.840 I mean, that's sort of my mantra for my whole life. 0:16:13.320 --> 0:16:16.560 Do whatever you can, you know, if it's sing a 0:16:16.640 --> 0:16:20.480 song or write a poem, or being a comedy or 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:22.680 a drama or whatever it is, like, you should do it. 0:16:22.840 --> 0:16:28.280 You should. You should. Don't let some uh perceived box 0:16:28.480 --> 0:16:34.040 keep you from exploring artistic avenues for yourself. By the way, 0:16:34.040 --> 0:16:36.040 why has it been twenty years since you and Paul 0:16:36.040 --> 0:16:38.920 Thomas Anderson made a movie together, which I can both 0:16:38.960 --> 0:16:43.280 been very busy. I'm still very close friends with Paul. 0:16:43.320 --> 0:16:45.320 We see each other all the time. So but that 0:16:45.400 --> 0:16:47.720 was always sort of our agreement, you know, as we 0:16:47.760 --> 0:16:51.440 did three movies together in a row, and you know, 0:16:52.480 --> 0:16:56.080 after the first one, I said to him, listen, only 0:16:56.120 --> 0:16:58.280 put me in a movie. If you see that there's 0:16:58.280 --> 0:17:00.800 a role for me, don't do it because you're my friend. 0:17:00.840 --> 0:17:03.560 It goes back to this kind of arrangement. I have 0:17:03.600 --> 0:17:06.520 a sean on those first few movies, like I don't 0:17:06.560 --> 0:17:09.920 want to be in I don't want these opportunities if 0:17:09.960 --> 0:17:13.520 their favors from you. I want these opportunities because I'm 0:17:13.560 --> 0:17:15.879 the right guy for the job. So that's sort of 0:17:16.040 --> 0:17:18.440 what I said to Paul too after that first movie, like, look, 0:17:18.480 --> 0:17:21.199 don't feel like you have to do anything. You're an 0:17:21.280 --> 0:17:24.399 artist and you have a vision for your story. And 0:17:24.440 --> 0:17:27.680 if I'm the right guy, I'm the right guy. No 0:17:27.680 --> 0:17:29.480 no harm, no foul, you know what I mean, Like, 0:17:30.680 --> 0:17:33.119 no no offense if you need to go a different 0:17:33.119 --> 0:17:36.520 way or whatever. And so he took that to heart. 0:17:36.560 --> 0:17:39.639 After my third movie, Well, I'll speak for a lot 0:17:39.680 --> 0:17:41.360 of people, would love to see you guys work together again. 0:17:41.400 --> 0:17:43.280 I mean that was yeah, I'm sure we will. I'm 0:17:43.320 --> 0:17:47.000 sure we will. I just don't know what Knights Magnolia 0:17:47.080 --> 0:17:50.360 was in film school in collaboration was pretty big deal 0:17:50.400 --> 0:17:51.960 for a lot of us. So we'd we'd love to 0:17:51.960 --> 0:17:59.240 see you back. Well, I hope Paul's listening. He's very busy. 0:17:59.440 --> 0:18:01.879 I loved it. I was loved it. I mean I 0:18:01.960 --> 0:18:07.920 was somewhat mystified by the lack of industry support, in 0:18:07.960 --> 0:18:12.199 particular awards for that movie, although it was rewarded in 0:18:12.240 --> 0:18:15.399 some ways. I thought, how can you look at a 0:18:15.480 --> 0:18:17.600 movie that is that it's like the lead up to 0:18:17.600 --> 0:18:19.760 the Oscars because it got the Best Picture nomination, right, 0:18:19.800 --> 0:18:22.119 they got nominated, but like it's something so I just 0:18:22.160 --> 0:18:23.880 thought I should have swept, you know what I mean. 0:18:24.320 --> 0:18:28.000 Paul not only wrote and directed that movie, he shot 0:18:28.080 --> 0:18:30.520 that movie. He was the director of photography and the 0:18:30.560 --> 0:18:34.120 camera operator, and it was Daniel day Lewis in front 0:18:34.119 --> 0:18:36.159 of the camera. Was like not like a walk in 0:18:36.200 --> 0:18:38.439 the park, you know, like Daniel is a demanding actor 0:18:38.480 --> 0:18:43.159 who who demands your attention, Like he's as demanding with 0:18:43.200 --> 0:18:45.800 everyone around him as he is with himself. He's a brilliant, 0:18:45.840 --> 0:18:49.240 brilliant actor. So the idea that Paul was like having 0:18:49.280 --> 0:18:52.960 to take care of all these technical aspects and be 0:18:53.080 --> 0:18:56.639 in this relationship with Daniel, I thought that was just 0:18:56.760 --> 0:19:02.680 a stunning display of virtuosic filmmaking. Um and I also 0:19:02.840 --> 0:19:06.160 thought the film was really funny and you know, deeply, 0:19:06.680 --> 0:19:12.720 uh just really well observed about relationships and and what 0:19:12.800 --> 0:19:16.320 goes on between men and women and what esthetics mean, 0:19:17.080 --> 0:19:22.320 why aesthetics are so important to some people anyway. Yeah, right, 0:19:22.359 --> 0:19:25.040 that's what I thought of that fancy thread. You're a fan. 0:19:26.640 --> 0:19:28.080 Before I get into the new movie, I just want 0:19:28.080 --> 0:19:29.719 to start. I did want to talk about the Thin 0:19:29.800 --> 0:19:32.840 Red Line also, just because anybody that was in the 0:19:32.840 --> 0:19:34.440 Thin Red Line I want to know they're gonna have 0:19:34.480 --> 0:19:36.040 to get to the Jacquo the yard at some point, 0:19:36.080 --> 0:19:39.199 but we're gonna get there. But I just, you know, 0:19:39.280 --> 0:19:41.280 it was a larger part like many people, and it's 0:19:41.320 --> 0:19:43.560 a good problem to have, like a lot of movies 0:19:43.640 --> 0:19:46.440 that that people want to talk about. But tell me 0:19:46.480 --> 0:19:50.119 about your experience working with Malick and and uh, you know, 0:19:50.320 --> 0:19:54.560 were you heartbroken at at the part getting whittled down 0:19:54.640 --> 0:19:56.840 like the number of the other and not at all? 0:19:57.040 --> 0:20:02.320 I was, uh, you know, I quickly realized I was 0:20:02.359 --> 0:20:04.439 doing a play in Chicago. I was doing a streetcar 0:20:04.600 --> 0:20:08.399 named Desire in Chicago at the Stepmo Theater at the 0:20:08.440 --> 0:20:12.080 time when I auditioned for that movie, and I was 0:20:12.160 --> 0:20:14.320 just like I was such a huge fan of bad 0:20:14.440 --> 0:20:17.199 Lands and Days of Heaven that I was like, I 0:20:17.359 --> 0:20:20.239 got to at least be I want this guy to 0:20:20.320 --> 0:20:23.600 know that I exist. I just wanted to see an 0:20:23.600 --> 0:20:26.879 audition of mine. That's that was like, that was as 0:20:26.960 --> 0:20:29.800 much as I was hoping for it, you know. So 0:20:29.840 --> 0:20:33.600 I made this audition tape for him, and there was 0:20:33.640 --> 0:20:36.399 this I remember the whole sequence where I was I 0:20:36.480 --> 0:20:39.600 auditioned for a few different parts in that movie, and 0:20:39.640 --> 0:20:42.840 I remember I auditioned for Elias Koteas as part at 0:20:42.840 --> 0:20:45.280 one point, and there's this all its intense scenes where 0:20:45.280 --> 0:20:47.920 he's in a foxhole and he's communicating by radio to 0:20:48.080 --> 0:20:51.159 Nicknolty's character and he's getting these orders that he's disobeying 0:20:51.160 --> 0:20:54.920 and it's this super intense while they're being fired on scene, 0:20:56.040 --> 0:20:59.600 and I remember, like, well, it's gotta I can't, like, 0:21:00.080 --> 0:21:04.960 I can't have the casting person be feeding these these 0:21:05.000 --> 0:21:08.400 intense lines off camera, like they're the cues aren't gonna 0:21:08.400 --> 0:21:10.280 be there and it's not gonna have the intensity that 0:21:10.320 --> 0:21:14.000 needs to have. So I figured out this brilliant thing 0:21:14.119 --> 0:21:17.959 I thought, which would take a micro cassette recorder, and 0:21:18.000 --> 0:21:21.359 I recorded all of the other lines on the micro 0:21:21.440 --> 0:21:23.600 cassette and I held it like a radio, so I 0:21:23.640 --> 0:21:25.800 would I would say my line and then I pressed 0:21:25.800 --> 0:21:29.960 play and you'd hear the response come over the cassette recorder. 0:21:30.800 --> 0:21:32.639 And it worked really well. I got a part in 0:21:32.680 --> 0:21:34.679 the movie, which not that part, but I got a 0:21:34.680 --> 0:21:37.640 part in the movie. But anyway, to answer your question 0:21:37.640 --> 0:21:40.880 about whether I was heartbroken up about the amount of 0:21:40.920 --> 0:21:42.919 my role that was cut down from the film, I 0:21:43.000 --> 0:21:48.160 quickly realized once I got there that Terry. In my mind, 0:21:48.240 --> 0:21:51.879 Terry is more of a philosopher than a filmmaker. In 0:21:51.920 --> 0:21:55.159 a lot of ways, He's not. He doesn't have the 0:21:55.200 --> 0:22:00.480 same concerns on a set that other directors I've worked 0:22:00.480 --> 0:22:03.600 with have had. Terry, it seemed to me, was just 0:22:03.680 --> 0:22:06.199 someone who was looking for the truth every day. He 0:22:06.240 --> 0:22:08.800